ICMA members have an ethical obligation to further their own individual professional development to enhance their ability to effectively serve their organization as well as ensure their organization’s personnel decisions are based on fairness and impartiality.
It is important to recall that hiring systems based on political patronage, the definition of “who you know” instead of “what you know,” helped propel ICMA’s founding. Hiring decisions first appeared in the ICMA Code of Ethics in the 1938 version, “The city manager handles all matter of personnel on the basis of merit. Political, religious, and racial considerations carry no weight in appointments, salary increases, promotions, and discipline in the municipal service.” The guideline on equal opportunity was added in 1972 and was last revised in 2023.
Applicable Tenets and Guidelines
Tenet 8. Make it a duty continually to improve the member’s professional ability and to develop the competence of associates in the use of management techniques.
GUIDELINES
Self-Assessment. Each member should assess his or her professional skills and abilities on a periodic basis.
Professional Development. Each member should commit at least 40 hours per year to professional development activities that are based on the practices identified by the members of ICMA.
Tenet 11. Manage all personnel matters with fairness and impartiality.
Guideline on Diversity and Inclusion. It is the member’s responsibility to recruit, hire, promote, retain, train, and support a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization.
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